How to take a screenshot ?
Summary
What is a screenshot ?
Taking a screenshot, also called a print screen, is the action of copying what is displayed on the screen and saving this snapshot of your screen in an image file (in jpg, gif, png format…) ).
The procedure for capturing your screen varies according to the operating system used, so I offer you a complete tutorial to learn how to make a screenshot according to the operating system used.
How to take a screenshot in Windows 7, Windows 8, and Windows 8.1 ?
Since Windows Vista (and therefore Windows 7, Windows 8, Windows 8.1, Windows 10), there is a very practical tool called Snipping tool, simple to use, which allows you to easily take a screenshot.
Just search for it via Windows search (just enter Snipping and the tool will be offered to you) or by going directly to the Start menu (accessible by clicking on the Windows button of your keyboards) then Programs then Accessories.
There are different capture modes which are accessible by clicking on the small black arrow to the right of New:
- Freeform capture: capture from the selection made with the mouse
- Rectangular capture: allows you to record a particular area of the screen
- Window Capture: saves the window selected by the tool
- Full screen capture: captures the whole screen
It is also possible to program the capture up to 5 seconds (like a self-timer on a camera).
Once it’s done, you can save it to your computer or send it with email.
How to take a screenshot in windows 10 ?
Windows 10 has introduced some cool new features as a new screen printing tool.
To open, the application you can go through the Windows 10 Start menu, it is present in the list of applications with the letter S. It is also possible to launch the app using Windows 10 search: click on the Start menu and type on your keyboard Snip, the application will be offered to you.
At the top, a menu offers different actions:
On the far left, press New (or use the keyboard shortcut Ctrl + N) to capture your screen. The screen darkens when the application is ready to record your screen. There are 3 options: rectangular clip (to select the part of the screen to copy in rectangular format), free-form clip (no predefined shape for your capture) and full screen clip which records the content of the full screen.
In the middle, several tools are available to annotate and personalize your screenshot once it has been taken: tactile writing, ball point pen, pencil, highlighter, eraser, ruler, crop the image.
On the right, the possibility to save your screenshot, copy it and a tool to share your image (with your contacts, by bluetooth or via email, Skype, OneNote etc …)
How to take a screenshot with MACOS X ?
- To take a screenshot of your entire screen in Mac OS X, press the Apple (Cmd) + SHIFT + 3 on your keyboard simultaneously.
- To capture a part of the screen, press Apple (Cmd) + SHIFT + 4
- In order to capture the active window of your Mac, press Apple (Cmd) + SHIFT + 4 + space
More details on official Apple help
How to take a screenshot on Android ?
The procedure varies depending on the version of Android you are using.
Capturing a screen has become much simpler with newer versions of Android thanks to a specific application that you just have to launch to make a copy of the screen (you can access it in particular via the on/standby button on your phone or Android tablet).
The screenshot is most often accompanied by a small sound (click of camera) which confirms that the capture has been carried out.
How to do a screenshot on iPhone and iPad ?
On iPhone, iPad, simply press the Power button and the main button simultaneously to capture the screen.
The captured image will then be stored in your images galery.
Some additional screenshot software
Greenshot, software to take screenshots
Lightweight, multilingual and easy to use, Greenshot is also available for Windows and Mac OS.
The options that I particularly like in this free screen capture software :
- Presence of an icon in the taskbar (systray), useful for quickly taking a snapshot of a web page or software
- Ability to add text to the image
- Presence of blurring effects and tools and addition of arrows to customize screenshots.
- It allows you to export images taken in your email software, in the Office suite or on photo sites like Flick or Picasa.
VideoProc to record your screen in image or video
VideoProc is a video capture and editing software that also has many practical utilities including a screen recorder. It allows you to record your screen, record your webcam or both at the same time. This can be particularly useful if you want to record your video game parts and film yourself at the same time. It’s the perfect program for video capture!
Snaggy, a screenshot sharing tool
Snaggy is a website that allows you to take a screenshot depending on your operating system. It also offers you the possibility of uploading your screenshot to site in order to share it! Very practical, especially to host your screenshot in a forum or to request IT assistance.
You will need to register on the site to be able to store and share your screenshots
Host your screenshot online
Often, when you need help and you ask in a forum or site to find a solution to your problem, you are asked to post a screenshot of your screen.
How to host your screenshot ?
There are many online sites that can host images. They often even offer HTML code or BBC code (code specific to forums) to help you share your images.
Some free image hosting sites
- CJoint: http://www.cjoint.com/
- GooPics: https://goopics.net/
Share your screenshots via the Cloud
It is also possible to send your image, even a large one, directly to your recipient via a free file sharing service, but also to host their images directly in the Cloud services. Many services like Dropbox, Google Drive, OneDrive etc… allow you to store images and other multimedia files for free and of course to share them.
